No Booksmart Jock
by SkylaraK
Summary: Her face was hot, and she told herself it was from the heat of the day, or from exertion, but not from embarrassment." Booth and Brennan console each other after suffering a major disappointment.


This little oneshot is inspired by one of my favorite children's books, Duck, Duck, Goose by Tad Hills. It's the story of two good friends, Duck and Goose, who meet a second duck (named Thistle), who is quite competitive, not to mention a sore winner. Eventually Duck and Goose find themselves sitting alone (having run off from the newcomer), and Duck consoles Goose, who is a little upset that he lost all of the games they played. It's such a sweet scene, and it has always struck me as something I could see happening between Booth and Brennan. The book is fantastic and I highly recommend it (as well as Tad Hills' other story, Duck and Goose) to anyone who has children or who loves children's literature.

Back before I became a stay-at-home mom, we would have a big summer bash and invite not only our friends, but also other acquaintances from work. We always had silly games, like Egg and Spoon Races, Water Balloon Tosses, Three Legged or Sack Races, and yes, even Jello Wrestling. By the time we got around to playing these games, usually everyone had already had a few drinks, and the results were hilarious. The setting of this oneshot is at just such a cookout.

Thanks as always to FauxMaven, who helped me quite a bit with this piece.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, or anything to do with it. I just like to play with the characters.

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Brennan sat on the ground, halfway up a low hill on the grassy expanse behind Hodgins' house. Her legs were folded in front of her, sharp blades of grass prickling her bare skin. Booth half-reclined next to and slightly behind her, legs splayed, leaning back on his elbows. A few moments passed in silence as they watched their friends mingling with other acquaintances on Hodgins' patio. They would start barbequing soon; Brennan knew Booth would insist on doing most of the grilling. Her face was hot, and she told herself it was from the heat of the day, or from exertion, but not from embarrassment. She wove her fingers idly through the grass, pulling up a blade here and there.

"I never liked those games, anyway," she said, half to herself.

Booth responded, "Nah, me neither. Three-legged races are pretty pointless, nobody's good at them."

Brennan nodded firmly. "And it's just awkward trying to pop a balloon between your body and your partner's."

"Awkward isn't even the word for it," he grumbled.

"The water balloon toss would have been alright, if Hodgins hadn't filled them with Jello instead of plain water," she commented.

"Tell me about it. I hope Jello doesn't stain," Booth muttered.

"Well, I'm just glad we were able to talk them out of Jello wrestling."

Booth chuckled. "It might have been fun to see you take on Angela, though."

Brennan gave him a light shove in response.

She glanced at the only part of him she could see—his legs—and followed the curved lines of his defined calves down to the socks and sneakers he wore. They'd had many discussions about sports throughout their partnership, some of which she regretted, like when she inadvertently called him juvenile in the middle of the Manning case. But she knew he thought of himself as a jock, as he rightly should. He was in prime physical condition and his coordination was excellent. She was in good shape herself, but contests like these were not her strong point. She cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry I lost us the race—I'm normally a very good runner, you know." She took a deep breath. "And if you hadn't moved that way when I was trying to knee the balloon, I wouldn't have hurt you so badly, I'm sorry. And, well, at least we did win the balloon toss."

Booth hoisted himself to a sitting position next to her, but before he could speak, she blurted, "I'm sorry we didn't beat Hodgins and Angela."

He was quiet for only a moment before nudging her gently with his shoulder. "Hey, I thought you did great."

Brennan smiled wryly and then said, "So did you." After a short pause, she continued, "We'll just have to practice twice as much for next year.


End file.
